Flag of Great Britain

Great Britain
Name King's Colours
Use Civil and state flag
Proportion 3:5
Adopted 1707
Variant flag of Great Britain
Use Civil and naval ensign
Proportion 1:2
Design A red field with the Flag of Great Britain in the canton
Variant flag of Great Britain
Use Naval ensign
Proportion 1:2
Design A cross of St George with the Flag of Great Britain in the canton
Variant flag of Great Britain
Use Naval ensign
Proportion 1:2
Design A blue field with the Flag of Great Britain in the canton
A replica of the early 17th century Godspeed flying the flags of Great Britain and the Kingdom of England

The flag of Great Britain, commonly known as the Union Jack or Union Flag, is a maritime flag of Great Britain that was used from 1606 to 1801.[1][2] The design was ordered by King James VI and I to be used on ships on the high seas, and it subsequently came into use as a national flag following the Treaty of Union and Acts of Union 1707, gaining the status of "the Ensign armorial of Great Britain", the newly created state. It was later adopted by land forces, although the blue of the field used on land-based versions more closely resembled that of the blue of the flag of Scotland.

The flag consists of the red cross of Saint George, patron saint of England, superimposed on the Saltire of Saint Andrew, patron saint of Scotland. Its correct proportions are 3:5.

The flag's official use came to an end in 1801 with the creation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. At that time Saint Patrick's Flag was added to the flag of Great Britain to create the present-day Union Flag.

Creation

By James I of England, King of Scots, Orders in Council, 1606:

King James had the habit of referring to a "Kingdom of Great Britain", considering that it had been created by the Union of the Crowns. However, despite the personal union which he represented, in practice England and Scotland continued as separate kingdoms, each with its own parliament and laws, for another century. The Kingdom of Great Britain finally came into being in 1707.[4]

"Scots union flag as said to be used by the Scots."

The flag of the new Kingdom was formally chosen on 17 April 1707, two weeks before the Acts of Union of 1707 were to take effect. Sir Henry St George, Garter Principal King of Arms, had presented several possible designs to Queen Anne and the Privy Council.[5] The principal alternative for consideration was a version of the flag with the Cross of Saint Andrew lying on top of that of Saint George, called the "Scots union flag as said to be used by the Scots", but this was rejected.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "British Flags". Flaginstitute.org.
  2. ↑ "The Union Jack or The Union Flag?". Flaginstitute.org.
  3. ↑ A.C. Fox-Davies, The Art of Heraldry: An Encyclopædia of Armory (1904), p. 399
  4. ↑ Michael Lynch, The Oxford Companion to Scottish History (2001), p. 356
  5. ↑ Linda Colley, Taking Stock of Taking Liberties: a personal view (British Library, 2009), p. 46
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